Mail marking machine



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MAIL MARKING MAGHQINE.

Patented June 26, 1894x INVENTD F1:-

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F. N. BTHRIDGE. MAIL MARKING MACHINE.

N0. 522,049. Patented June 26, 1894.

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F. N. BTHRIDGE. MAIL MARKING MACHINE.

No. 522,049. Patented June 26,4 "1894.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK N. ETHRIDGE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ALBERT LEAVITT, OF SAME PLACE.

MAIL-MARKING MACHIN E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. a2,o49, dated June 26,1894.

Application filed November 7,1893. Serial No. 490,252.` (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK N. ETHRIDGE, of Boston, in the county of Suolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and t 5 useful Improvements in Mail-Marking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to simplify mail-marking machines and increase their Io eiiiciency. Y

To this end, the invention consists in an improved feeder, whichl takes the`mail-pieces in the direction of travel of the acting stretch of the endless conveyor, and at the same time into contact with said stretch of the conveyor.

The invention further consists in an improved timing mechanism, which is so constructed as to prevent backward movement of the mail-pieces.

The invention further consists in a stackin g device, in the form of a disk, having a throat which receives the mail-pieces anda camsurface which stacks them, and an auxiliary stacking disk acting in conjunction there- 2 5 with. I

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention.

Figure l shows a plan view of the machine, as it appears in operation. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the machine, viewed from the lower side of Fig. 1, broken away at one part and in section at another part. Fig. 3 shows an .end elevation, as viewed from the right of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows a partial plan 0f the machine, illustrative of a step in its operation. Figs. 5 and 6 show different positions of the stacking devices. Figs. 7 and 8 show details of the timing mechanism.

The same letters and numerals of reference indicate the same parts in all the gures.

In the drawings: The letter a designates the stationary horizontal bed of the machine, above which travels the endless belt or con- Veyer b, common to this class of machines, and running on pulleys b b2. Difficulty has been experienced with the conveyors now in use, from the fact that the mail-pieces are not always taken thereby in the proper position, with v their edges horizontal, but the mail- 5o pieces will sometimes tilton the conveyor, by

reason of not'being accurately fed thereto, and in such event do not pass to the marking devices, but escape from the machine; or, if they do reach the marking devices, are marked thereby at the wrong place. I believe .5 5 I have solved the problem, by the employment of a novel feeder, which Vconsists of a circular horizontal table c, which is carried by the pulley b2, and extends under the stretches of the belt band also over the bot- 6o tom of the hopper d in which the mail-matter is deposited.

The mail-pieces will fall upon the rotating table c, and their edges will evenly engage the same, there being no projections to cause 6 5 tilting of a mail-piece; and, the direction ,of rotation of the table being the same as the direction of travel of the belt, the mail-pieces will be carried forward by the table, and at the same time will be taken against the belt, 7o Y for the plane of the path of movement of the table being horizontal intersects that of the path of movement of the belt, which is vertical. Each mail-piece will thus be carried into flat engagement with the belt, so that the latter will receive it properly positioned and feed it properly to the marking devices.

The letter edesignates the marking-cylinder, which is opposed to the pulley b and rotates in the opposite direction. 8o

Timing mechanism, whereby the marking of each mail-piece at the proper place is assured, is arranged as follows: Opposed to an idler f on the inner side of the acting stretch of the belt, is a roller g, having an an- 8 5 nular groove g', and supported by a springi pressed arm g2, capable of limited play on a pivot-pin, g3, which is journaled in the bed a and in a bearing on the outer side of the hopper clthe limited play thus allowed the roller 9o being to compensate for variationsl in thickness of mail-pieces. An arm h is fastened to the outer side of the hopper andl extends into the groove g of the roller g, and is formed with a stop-projection h for the mail-piece to encounter. A spring-pressed finger v1 is pivoted inside the acting stretch of the belt and extends over the belt and into the groove g of the roller g, and is adapted to deflect the approaching 'mail-piece against the stop Ioo h. This nger is formed with a shoulder i', at a point in advance of the stop h and for a purpose which will be explained hereinafter. An arm j, affixed to the pivot-piu g3 below the bed a, is connected with a pitman 3'2, which co-acts with an eccentric js on the journal of the marking-cylinder.

The approaching mail-piece 2 (see Fig. 7) is deflected by the finger t' against the stop 7L', the roller g being at this time in its rearward position and said stop projecting beyond its periphery. The mail is held until the revolution of the marking-cylinder causes the eccentric to move the roller g toward the belt. When thus moved toward the belt, the roller acts against the mail-piece and pushes it off the stop 71.', and moves said mail-piece against the finger i, which yields and allows the mail-piece to be carried against the belt. Thus each mail-piece is timed with respect to the marking-cylinder, so that it will receive the mark at the proper place.

When the mail-piece 71 is pushed against the finger i, it encounters the shoulder z" (see Fig. 8), and is prevented thereby from being pushed back by the roller g.

After the mail-pieces leave the marking devices, they are received and acted upon by stacking devices, which. are constructed and arranged as follows: A guard m is erected on the bed a, and extends from the pulley b', on a slight angle, in the direction of length of the machine, and at its outer part extends substantially at right angles to the longitudinal portion, as shown at m', so that mailpieces issuing from between the marking-cylinder and the belt encounter the bend m2 between the portions m and m of the guard, and are thereby caused to be stacked evenended. A pair of disks n are supported in bearings on the rear side of the guard m, and are rigidly connected, so as to constitute in effect one disk, and the guard has an opening n', through which the disk may project. Each disk is formed with a daring throat n2, which, as here shown, extends tangentially or spirally, and the inner side n3 of said throat constitutes a cam-face. The approaching mail-piece 2 is received in the throat, while the disk is in position with the inner side of the throat back of the path of the mail-piece and the base of the throat is at the bend m2 of the guard,and that portion n4 of the disk on the outer sideof the throat holds up the pieces previouslystacked against a sliding block o. As the disk rotates in the direction of the arrow, the throat recedes under the curve of the guard, leaving the mail-piece against the same, the portion n4 of the disk leaves the stack of inail-pieces 3, while the cam-surface n2 acts against the newly-received mailpiece and pushes it back toward the stack 3 (see Fig. 5). The outer, circular, concentric portion 72,5 of the disks periphery adds the mail-piece to the stack (see Figs. 6 and 4), and the disk returns to the position shown in Fig.

l, ready to receive the next mail-piece. An auxiliary stacker, in the form of a substantially quadrant-shaped disk p, is supported in bearings on the rear side of the guard m; and, when the disks n are positioned to receive the mail-piece, this auxiliary disk is wholly back of the guard, and thus out of the path of the mail-piece (see Fig. l). .As the disks n rotate, the auxiliary disk p also rotates, and comes through a slot p in the guard m, and its outer, concentric surface p2 comes to bear on the mail at a different place in the length of the latter than the disks 'n (see Figs. 5 and 6), but leaves the mail-piece as the throat resumes its receiving position. This auxiliary stacker prevents that end ofa mail-piece which leaves the marking devices last from remaining in the path of the following mail-piece. This auxiliary disk re cedes behind the guard before the throat arrives at its receiving` position. The disk is formed with a rounding cam-surface on the side which first encounters a mail-piece, to avoid a straight surface which might act on the end of a short mail-piece, whereas the opposite side extends radially, so that, when the concentric surface of the disk leaves the mail-piece, the disk more quickly recedes behind the guard. The auxiliary disk is received between the disks fn.. l

The driving means, whereby the conveyer, the feeder, the marking cylinder and the stackers are operated, are best shown in Fig. 3, and are of the following construction: The driving-shaft q carries three skew-gears, q q2 qs, which 'mesh respectively with corresponding gears on the journals of the marking-cylinder and the pulley b', and on a stud which is connected by gears g4 with the journal of the stacker-disks n, the latter being properly geared to the auxiliary stacker-disk, so that these disks will rotate in proper time with relation to the marking-cylinder and to each other.

It is evident that the invention herein disclosed can be embodied in different form from what is here shown, and is not limited in this respect.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isi l. The combination with an endless conveyer, of a rotary feeding disk or table extending under the acting stretch of said conveyer, for the purpose described.

2. The combination of an endless conveyer, and rotary supports therefor having vertical axes and one of said supports carrying a horizontal table which extends across the acting stretch of the conveyer, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. A mail-1narking machine, comprising in its construction an endless conveyer, a stop to intercept the mail-pieces,a yielding finger adapted to deflect the said pieces and formed with a shoulder, and means for moving the IOO IIO

mail-pieces free of the stop and against the shoulder of said finger and into contact with the conveyer..

y 4. In a mail-markingmaohine, a rotary disk having a throat to receive the marked mailpieces and a cam-surface for stacking the said pieces, and an auxiliary rotary stacking-disk adapted to act on a different part of a mailpiece in its length.

In testimony whereof I have signed lmy 1o name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 30th day o f October, A. D. 1893.

FRANK N. ETI-IRIDGE,

Witnesses:

A. D. HARRISON, F. PARKER DAVIS.- 

